Terrific Fundraising Insights
Mark Phillips of UK’s Bluefrog fundraising agency, is a consultant I’d probably hire. I’ve never met him. I’m going strictly on the quality of his insights as expressed on his blog, queer ideas.
His recent post, with the dry-as-toast title, Five things we learned at the IFC, is a treasure chest of little pearls (he calls them “juicy nuggets”) that he mined from various presentations.
For example, from Blackbaud’s datameister Chuck Longfeld:
- If someone calls you to change their address they are TEN times more likely to leave you a legacy (or upgrade, or set up a regular gift or anything else you might ask them to do).
- Calling a donor to thank them (whether you speak to them or just leave a message on the answer phone) can increase their next year’s gift value by up to 40%.
- Misspelling someone’s last name can decrease gift size by up to 12%.
Notice we’re not talking here about some super-duper-CRM-donor-value-modeling software, or a whiz-bang Facebook widget, or a slick mobile app.
We’re talking about the fundamental chemistry of human interaction … sometimes known crassly as … customer service. If you don’t get something this basic right, or even appreciate its importance, get out of the fundraising business, now … you don’t belong! [See yesterday’s First, Make Rice]
Phillips has extracted more great takeaways from the International Fundraising Conference, often with links to support, and what catches his eye tells me he has superb instincts.
Do yourself a favor and read his post.
Tom
2 responses to “Terrific Fundraising Insights”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
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There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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I agree with you: this one was chock full of really useful information! Mark Phillips is really smart, and I’d recommend his blog to anyone interested in nonprofit fundraising.
Along with Agitator, Mark’s is a blog to check on often!
Last year, I moved. I contacted one of my Alma Maters to give them my new address. They demanded I go through a lengthy online rigamarole. Suffice to say I was ticked off. Then another Alma Mater invited me to a lovely get-together and dinner and I practically begged them to take me on as a volunteer … (to which they never replied, btw)